Moon's Blood
by Ithilas
Summary: Everyone has their secrets. Only thing is, the rest of the Seigaku boy's tennis team never expected three of their members to have such big ones.
1. Preview

This just wasn't happening…

It was all a nightmare that he was going to wake up from…

Kami-sama why wasn't he waking up?

Why was this horrible dream turning into reality?

* * *

He'd failed. The only thing in his life that he'd taken completely seriously, (well other than both tormenting and ensuring the safety of his otouto) and he'd failed. He was a tensai and as such had never before truly known the bitter taste of absolute failure, because he was a tensai and tensai just didn't fail at whatever they attempted, hence why they were referred to as tensai. But it had happened, and it just had to happen in regards to one of the most important people in his life, and if he were to be completely honest with himself _the_ most important person in his life, valued above even his own blood.

* * *

Resting one hand against a pale cheek tenderly, Fuji's eyes snapped up to meet the concerned face of Eiji while the acrobat squeezed his tense shoulder comfortingly. Swallowing against the hard lump of emotion in his throat, Fuji gingerly maneuvered the small body in arms as he rose from his kneeling position. Determinedly keeping his eyes away from the sight of Echizen's family, Fuji carefully carried his burden into the quiet house.

* * *

"We should take him to the hospital, Fuji." Oishi replied worriedly, his motherhen instincts kicking into overdrive at the sight of their kouhai looking so pale and bloody.

"And what we would tell them, Oishi? That he was attacked by a bunch of people wearing black robes and white masks? That we saw one of them vanish in front of us?"

"We can't take care of him here Fuji!" Oishi whispered furiously, his eyes alight with determination to make the tensai understand. "This isn't something we can just put a band-aid over."

"Unless he tells me otherwise, we'll have to." Fuji replied, his voice containing barely controlled anger. "And since he can't, we'll just have to take care of him the best we can _here_. He wouldn't want to leave and you know it just as well as I do, Oishi."

* * *

Cringing at the commanding voice of their buchou, Eiji stood abruptly from where he'd collapsed onto the sofa. Bowing with his hands clasped together in front of him, Eiji squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he spoke rapidly. "Gomen ne, nya! But I can't tell you, Tezuka-buchou."

* * *

"Promise?" Momo repeated, his face flushing with anger. "Echizen's family are outside dead, and Echizen is upstairs with Oishi-sempai and you think that we don't have a right to know what trouble he's gotten mixed up in!"

"Yes." Fuji smiled, the look in his sapphire eyes chilling as they stared at each member of the team in turn. "Ryoma's lost quite enough tonight without us adding broken faith into the mess. So until he wakes up, I _suggest_ that you remain patient and wait for him to tell you if that's what he wants. In the meantime, why don't you call your families and let them know that you'll be staying here."

* * *

And there you have a happy little preview from the first chapter of my PoT/HP story. I got rather irritated at the lack of good ones out there so I decided that I should do something about it instead of whining about it and here you have it. I'll have the complete chapter up soon depending on how much I'm able to write with both school and work. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter the First

Moon Blood

_A dream upon a dream…_

_A wish upon a wish…_

_A vow made in blood…_

_Let the moon shine through the clouds to bless us…_

_Let the moon remember its own once more…_

_And forsake that which the sun has shown._

This just wasn't happening…

It was all a nightmare that he was going to wake up from…

Kami-sama why wasn't he waking up?

Why was this horrible dream turning into reality?

"**RYOMA!"**

The echoes of his name being called by his sempai resonated in him as his vision turned slowly to darkness as his mind sought refuge from the horrors in front of him. Dimly the thought occurred to him that even as he fell, the coppery tang of spilt blood lingered in his senses even as everything else died away.

* * *

He'd failed. The only thing in his life that he'd taken completely seriously, (well other than both tormenting and ensuring the safety of his otouto) and he'd failed. He was a tensai and as such had never before truly known the bitter taste of absolute failure, because he was a tensai and tensai just didn't fail at whatever they attempted, hence why they were referred to as tensai. But it had happened, and it just had to happen in regards to one of the most important people in his life, and if he were to be completely honest with himself _the_ most important person in his life, valued above even his own blood. Rubbing at his eyes tiredly, Fuji Syuusuke remembered with striking clarity the scene that he and his fellow teammates had come across only two days ago.

It had all started with a desire from Eiji to do something as a team and together with both Fuji and Oishi he'd managed to convince everyone else into agreeing. Well everyone with the exception of the baby of their team, the cocky arrogant brat known as Echizen Ryoma or if you bothered to ask his fan girls then they would tell you that he was to be addressed as Ouji-sama. With a barely muffled snort, Fuji mused on the thought of what the fan girls would think on learning that Ryoma actually _should_ be called Ouji-sama. But once they'd determined that the entire team was going to gather together for what Eiji had termed their "Team Togetherness Day", they'd met up before leaving to abduct their youngest member and drag him into going with them. It was a nice fall day with the changing leaves swaying lightly in the air above them, while the wind carried with it the icy promise of impending winter.

The first indication that not everything was right was when they had arrived on the street Echizen lived on and a repugnant scent hung in the air above the neighborhood. Exchanging a nervous glance with Eiji as they continued on towards the house/shrine that Echizen called home, Fuji's eyes snapped open in shock and horror when they felt the magical backlash caused by the ancient wards surrounding the Echizen home falling.

Ignoring the curious calls from his teammates, Fuji broke into a run, only faintly aware of Eiji running beside him as they both recoiled in both disgust and apprehension at the amount of Dark Magic swirling in the air around them. If his friends had held any illusions as to the two of them being completely human, they were at the very least shaken by the sight of the two using their own innate magic to destroy the gate blocking the path leading into Ryoma's home.

"Light of the Moon become my shield and dispel the Darkness that envelopes me! Release!" Sprinting towards the space between the house and shrine, Fuji's breath caught in his throat as he recognized Ryoma's voice using one of the stronger protective incantations that were used by the Tsuki Clan. Skidding around the edge of the house, wide sapphire eyes took in the destruction before them while the sounds of pounding feet came closer to where he was standing still in shock.

The bodies of people garbed in black robes with bone white masks concealing their faces lay strewn across the dirt ground like a grim mockery of the falling leaves of autumn. Clothing torn and blood dripping down his slender body to land in a pool at his feet, Ryoma stood straight and glaring with tear filled golden eyes at a serpentine man with blazing crimson eyes, a circle of pure white light protecting him from the Dark Magic that seemed to ooze from the other. Returning the glare with a look of pure want etched across the disconcerting face, the man spoke softly to Ryoma his words carrying across the silent yard. "You will become mine."

With those last words, the red eyed man spun around on his spot and disappeared with a nearly silent pop. Golden eyes glazed over, Ryoma turned to stare absently a little to the left of where the man had stood, his voice quiet and nearly stripped of all emotion. "Sleep. Be at peace. His terrors will bother you no more tonight. Go. You have no place here." Pausing briefly to wonder who the small green-haired boy could be speaking to, Fuji couldn't conceal the gasp that escaped him when his eyes caught sight of what now held the youth's undivided attention. Lying together on the ground, concealed by the shadows cast by the house, were the still bodies of the remaining members of the Tsuki Clan. The King and Queen of their world lay lifeless with their blood pooling to mix with the life from the body of Nanako before flowing down towards the pool around Ryoma's feet. Watching in horror as the younger boys knees began to buckle, Fuji's ears rang with the concerned yells of the rest of the team as the boy fell to the ground in a boneless heap.

Kneeling by the side of the unconscious youth, Fuji took slow inventory of the multitude of cuts and bruises adorning the slim body. It seemed that in the time it took to overpower the wards protecting the Tsuki Clan, Ryoma and his family had been quite busy picking off their intruders one by one. Resting one hand against a pale cheek tenderly, Fuji's eyes snapped up to meet the concerned face of Eiji while the acrobat squeezed his tense shoulder comfortingly. Swallowing against the hard lump of emotion in his throat, Fuji gingerly maneuvered the small body in arms as he rose from his kneeling position. Determinedly keeping his eyes away from the sight of Echizen's family, Fuji carefully carried his burden into the quiet house.

Swiftly making his way through the dimly lit house, Fuji spotted Oishi following behind him as he settled Ryoma into his bed before leaving the younger boy in the care of Oishi while he went to gather a small basin of warm water and some washcloths. Reentering the room, he firmly squashed the small flare of jealousy when he saw Oishi tenderly adjusting Ryoma in the soft bed. "I brought some water so we could clean him up before taking care of his cuts."

"We should take him to the hospital, Fuji." Oishi replied worriedly, his mother hen instincts kicking into overdrive at the sight of their kouhai looking so pale and bloody.

"And what we would tell them, Oishi? That he was attacked by a bunch of people wearing black robes and white masks? That we saw one of them vanish in front of us?"

"We can't take care of him here Fuji!" Oishi whispered furiously, his eyes alight with determination to make the tensai understand. "This isn't something we can just put a band-aid over."

"Unless he tells me otherwise, we'll have to." Fuji replied, his voice containing barely controlled anger. "And since he can't, we'll just have to take care of him the best we can _here_. He wouldn't want to leave and you know it just as well as I do, Oishi."

"But…Fine, but I'll need alcohol and make sure that anything used as a bandage is as clean as we can make it. I won't let him get an infection because we missed something like that."

"I'll call nee-san to see if she can come and give you some help with taking care of him." Giving Oishi a soft smile, Fuji set the basin of water and the washcloths on the ground by the fukubuchou's feet and left the room to head downstairs to help Eiji in dealing with his teammates and to call Yumiko.

* * *

"Nee-chan."

"Syuusuke, what's wrong? The cards are telling me some troubling things."

"The Tsuki Clan's gone nee-chan. _Sigh_. Ouji-sama is still alive, but he's hurt. Oishi's upstairs taking care of him but Ryoma needs more help than Oishi can give him."

A sharp intake of breath.

"What happened Syuusuke?"

"I don't know for certain. The wards were overpowered and the stench of Dark Magic is thick enough to permeate the entire neighborhood. Ouji-sama is tainted with it and his body isn't combating it well."

"I'll let tou-chan know, and I'll be there as soon as I make some arrangements with work. Just keep watch over him, Syuusuke. We've already lost too much today without losing him too."

"Hurry, nee-chan."

* * *

"Kikumaru-sempai, what's going on? Why's Echizen so hurt? Who was that guy?"

"A—Ano…I can't tell you that, Momo-chan."

"Eiji."

Cringing at the commanding voice of their buchou, Eiji stood abruptly from where he'd collapsed onto the sofa. Bowing with his hands clasped together in front of him, Eiji squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he spoke rapidly. "Gomen ne, nya! But I can't tell you, Tezuka-buchou."

"He's telling you the truth, Tezuka." Entering the room unnoticed, Fuji stood in the doorway looking at the gathered team with opened eyes. "We need permission from Ryoma to tell you. Without his permission we won't break the promise we made to him."

"Promise?" Momo repeated, his face flushing with anger. "Echizen's family is outside dead, and Echizen is upstairs with Oishi-sempai and you think that we don't have a right to know what trouble he's gotten mixed up in!"

"Yes." Fuji smiled, the look in his sapphire eyes chilling as they stared at each member of the team in turn. "Ryoma's lost quite enough tonight without us adding broken faith into the mess. So until he wakes up, I _suggest_ that you remain patient and wait for him to tell you if that's what he wants. In the meantime, why don't you call your families and let them know that you'll be staying here."

"What are we supposed to tell them Fuji?"

"Tell them that Ryoma's too fragile to left here alone at the moment and that like the good sempai we are, we'll be staying here to take care of him until he's better." Fuji replied smiling at Tezuka with his eyes closed once more.

* * *

_Blood stains and while water may try, the redness will never allow itself to be cleansed from the surfaces it touches with its liquid life. What is spilled with such reckless abandon will find its revenge in something as simple as an illusion of never fading red. All creatures of the moon and the family that serve the moon, know this simple whispered rumor to be truth. To any and all tied with the moon, the understanding remains that to take a life is the gravest act which they will ever be called upon to do, and do so with the knowledge that their hands will be forever stained with the life that they removed._

'_**Never forget those words, Ryo-Chan. Tsukuyomi-sama entrusted his only mortal children with the task of becoming the guardians to those not of our natural world.'**_

A soft voice. A voice filled with heartrending familiarity as he slowly recalled the wisdom imparted to him at such a young age.

'_**So long as our line lives, we will remain faithful to the vows made by our ancestors so many years ago. We will guard the portals to the Makai as well as the lives of those who have chosen to remain here.'**_

A solemn voice. One normally so boisterous and lighthearted, now serious with the solemnity of the teachings being passed down once more from father to son.

'_**Watashi no namae wa Fuji Syuusuke, Ouji-sama.'**_

A young voice. One forgotten by the passage of time, a voice of both love and friendship to a young child held to the high standards of his station.

'_**We are the mystical side of the imperial family. They are born of the sun, Amaterasu-sama while we are born of the moon, Tsukuyomi-sama. And you, you are our Ouji-sama who will eventually rule like your father.'**_

A light voice filled with warmth. The voice belonging to his favorite family member. The one claimed by him as a sibling, regardless of blood ties.

'_**Ore wa Kikumaru Eiji da! And you're littler than me so you're Ochibi! Nya!'**_

An excited voice. One regarded with fond exasperation for being one of the few to disregard both his title and station to treat him as any other child would be.

'_**ANIKI! Don't tell Ryoma-ouji-sama things like that!'**_

Another voice. One filled with the righteous indignation of a younger sibling being horrifically embarrassed in front of those considered to be friends.

'_**Will you seek revenge for the blood spilled by those who do not and cannot understand its worth?'**_

Standing in the lush forest created by his mind, Ryoma stared up at the full moon in the twinkling night sky above him. All around him he could hear the squeaks and chatter of nocturnal animals as they scurried about their business. Feeling warm hands grip his shoulders, Ryoma turned around and buried his face into the warm chest of the person standing behind him. His eyes prickled with the feeling of unshed tears as his chest ached with the grief and shock of the day's events. A broken sob left his lips when hands lifted from his shoulders to comb comfortingly through his dark emerald locks. Squeezing his hands together tightly, Ryoma bit his lip until he felt a trickle of dark liquid slide down his chin as he struggled to keep the wailing grief inside of him.

'_**You shame us by concealing your emotion, child. Let go of the chains binding your heart and allow yourself to accept that which has happened to our own.'**_

The words felt like they were a battering ram against the frail control he still held over his emotions, and as each word was spoken, that control slipped more and more until finally he lost his grip. His slim shoulders shook from the force of his sobs as he clutched tightly onto the elaborate clothing of the man comforting him. All track of time was lost to him as the emotions continued to pour out of him, until at last he felt drained and sagged weakly against the form holding him steady with a strength he couldn't feel.

'_**Will you seek revenge for the blood spilled by those who do not and cannot understand its worth?'**_

Red-rimmed golden eyes stared up at the golden eyes looking down at him, golden eyes much like his own catlike orbs. Tearing his gaze away, Ryoma stared back up at the full moon that was slowly becoming hidden by the storm clouds moving across it's surface. Closing his eyes, Ryoma shivered slightly as the wind whipped across his tearstained visage, cooling his face with the drying proof of his grief. Letting his hands fall from where they'd been clutching tightly to the other's clothing, Ryoma lowered his eyes to meet the stare of the ancestor of his clan.

'_I am the last of my clan. I will not shirk the duties that now lie with me. The portals and those who remain in service to our family will be protected with my dying breath, and I swear that I will find those that sought to use us for their own gain, Tsukuyomi-Sama.'_

The moon was now nearly completely covered and the edges of his forest landscape were beginning to fade at the edges as the man standing before him spoke.

'_**Then you know what you must do. Stand firm upon the path that now lies before you. Your destiny lies not in killing the one who ordered the deaths of my progeny, but rather in clearing the path for another to do so.'**_

Stepping closer to the boy in front of him, Tsukuyomi gently caressed one reddened cheek while his form began to waver in and out of focus.

'_**Remain true to the blood that flows within your veins and honor the sacrifices of our family this night. Grief is an honest emotion that cleanses but take care that you do not lose yourself within the depths of that cleansing flow.'**_

Golden eyes peeped from beneath thick lashes as their owner struggled to pull himself from the realms of sleep that seemed so reluctant to let loose their grip on him. The darkness while comforting, was not the place for him to stay. He had a task that couldn't be fulfilled by remaining in the alluring nothingness that embraced him so tightly. As he broke free of the last strands of unconsciousness clinging to him, a deep voice echoed through his mind.

'_**I grant you my blessing, Tsuki-no-Hikari. Gather the proof of your claim to my lineage before you leave the lands of your birth in search of those who would taint the brilliance of your light. Those items and my blessing are all that I may give you. Use them in defense of all that you hold dear, child of my blood, and bring an end to the fool who seeks to attain godhood through bloodshed.'**_

A low moan escaped his lips, as Ryoma struggled to force his protesting body into a sitting position. Still tender scabs covering the multitude of wounds littering his body tore open as he finally pulled himself up to sit. Hissing as the blood stained the white bandages covering his body; Ryoma wondered idly if anyone would notice the fact that he'd managed to reopen his wounds not five minutes after waking. Shoulders slumping with a soft sigh, Ryoma grudgingly accepted the all too real possibilities that he wouldn't last long before the sharp eyes of his teammates noticed the dark spots lining his gauzy bandages. "Che." He muttered as he began the lengthy process of sliding from the comfortable bed to let his bare feet touch down on the warm carpet below. Taking slow deep breaths as his head spun from the added strain of attempting to stand, Ryoma gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand upright without collapsing. Resting one hand shakily against the wall of his bedroom, Ryoma leaned against the solid surface gratefully while trying to catch his breath and before beginning the arduous task of forcing his trembling legs to carry him downstairs to where he knew (just knew) that his sempai were waiting for him to wake.

* * *

Closing his eyes briefly as he leaned against the wall again just before the entrance to the room he could hear the low murmur of voices coming from, Ryoma took a few seconds to gather himself before entering the room. Bitterly he knew that any show of weakness on his part would only move the emotions of his sempai into the direction he didn't want them going. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ryoma lifted his head stubbornly aware that he was more than likely paler than he'd been when he'd ducked into the bathroom a few moments before. Taking a deep breath to steady himself and gather his nerve, Ryoma stopped putting off the inevitable and walked into the rapidly silenced room with as much dignity as he could muster.

* * *

Leaning back into the sofa with an exhausted sigh, Oishi listened to the rapid-fire questions being thrown at him from the entire team about Ryoma's condition. Thankfully for his exhausted mind, Fuji's sister Yumiko took over the brunt of the question and answer session for him.

"Echizen-san will be fine." Yumiko said patiently in response to the multitude of questions being thrown at the worn out fukubuchou. "He's sleeping normally now, and he should wake up as soon as his body has regained enough energy to sustain a waking state."

"And the?"

Meeting her younger brother's concerned gaze, she dipped her head briefly in response to his unfinished question.

"Is anyone else confused here, or am I the only one?" Momo asked curiously, his violet eyes looking intently at the siblings sitting next to each on the carpet covered ground.

"Fuji-san means that Echizen will wake up when he's ready." Tezuka answered Momo, his own orbs fixed on the Fuji's.

"Fshuuuu." Kaidoh hissed before speaking with as much condescension as he could possibly form in his voice. "Are you so stupid that now you can't even understand Japanese, stupid peach?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight, mamushi?" Momo retorted, his tense body springing up from the chair he was seated in to step threateningly in the direction of Kaidoh.

"Enough!"

Shocked at the stern tone coming from the angrily taut form of their sempai, Momo and Kaidoh paused before turning to give identical looks of disbelief to Kikumaru. "Yumiko-chan said that Ochibi was sleeping. You'll wake him if you keep yelling like you are nya! So be quiet before you do." Kikumaru whispered, his voice shaking with barely contained fury at the actions of his two kouhai.

"I'm already awake, Eiji."

Spinning around towards the source of the voice, Eiji's eyes widened at the small form hovering in the doorway before he dropped to his knees with his head pressed to the floor before him. Behind him, the Fuji siblings scrambled up from their own positions to mimic his own stance.

"Ouji-sama."

Shuffling into the room slowly, Ryoma noticed Oishi's eyes narrow as he stepped out from the concealing shade of the doorway. Flicking his attention back to the kneeling trio, Ryoma hastily opened his mouth to address the three before Oishi could begin one of his infamous mother hen rants. "Yumiko-san, I need you to get your father to contact the heads of all the clans and arrange for a meeting to be held here as soon as possible. Eiji, I need you find out where Yuuko-obaa-chan is hiding out now. I'm going to need the keys she's holding for my…" Ryoma's voice cut off as his catlike golden eyes welled with unshed tears. "The keys she's holding for my family."

"Hai."

Standing gracefully from their place on the floor; both Yumiko and Eiji paused before Ryoma to bow deeply before leaving the stunned atmosphere covering the room.

"Do you have any orders for me, Ouji-sama?"

"I'm sure the team would like some answers while Oishi-kaa-chan is busy mothering me upstairs." Ryoma answered Fuji his eyes reflecting the strain his trip downstairs was taking on him. Blue glinted from beneath barely opened eyes as Fuji took note of the exhaustion and pallor of the younger boy, along with the way he seemed to be breathing heavily as though he'd just finished one of their lap marathons. Resigning himself to the inevitability of being the one to explain everything to their teammates, Fuji smiled at the exhausted preteen as Oishi bounded up from the couch with no sign of his previous exhaustion to sweep the protesting Ryoma into his arms and carried him upstairs.

Turning back around, Fuji's smile became slightly strained as he looked at the openly confused faces of his teammates. "Saa…Where should I start?"

"The beginning would be nice, Fuji."

"Iie, data."

First sorta revised Chapter One up and running. I hope you guys like it. And before I forget, the disclaimer for this story can be found on my profile page.


	3. Chapter the Second

Moon's Blood

**A/N: For the sake of my sanity and to avoid a lot of people trying to point this out to me, I will explain a major part in this chapter. Ryoma is rather emotional, and no I do not believe that Ryoma would normally be this open with anyone. But, the fact remains that in the space of a single chapter I've killed his family and given him enough injuries to knock him out for two days. If he didn't react in this fashion or in some way, I would be really worried and would be keeping a close eye out for homicidal/suicidal tendencies. I hope this explains things and that you guys will understand the reasons behind my choices for Ryoma's actions.**

_Turning back around, Fuji's smile became slightly strained as he looked at the openly confused faces of his teammates. "Saa…Where should I start?"_

"_The beginning would be nice, Fuji."_

"_Data."_

"The first thing you probably should know is that Eiji, Oishi and I aren't what you would call human." Dancing around hysterically inside the safety of his own mind, Fuji took malicious delight in watching the shocked faces of his teammates as his words began to sink into their minds. "Our families are allies of Ryoma's family. I suppose that in a way you could call us his vassals."

"Wha—Wai—Hold on." Momo stuttered, his hands reaching up to grab his hair in frustration. "What do you mean you guys aren't human?"

Tilting his head to one side, Fuji leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "I mean that I myself am of the Kitsune. Eiji is of the Bakeneko, and Oishi is from a family of Onmyouji that have a history of mixed breeding. So none of us can really claim any sort of humanity at all, except for Ryoma but even _he's_ not really human."

"A few years before the mortal offspring of Amaterasu-sama became the Imperial line for our country, the only child of Tsukuyomi-sama was acknowledged as the ruler of our people. Those that had chosen to remain here after the barriers between the Makai and Ningenkai were erected, became part of a circle of families that were allied with the Tsuki Clan. We had built lives here in this world, and since the raising of the barriers, the Tsuki Clan have protected us from those that would rather see us gone."

Shifting his weight around, Fuji rested the flat of one foot against the wall as for once he found himself at a loss for words as he tried to figure out how to continue on with things. "What about Echizen, Fuji? You said that neither you, Oishi or Eiji were human but you also mentioned Echizen. I gather that you mean to tell us that Echizen is a member of this…Tsuki Clan."

"Ryoma is _much _more than just a member of the Tsuki Clan, Kunimitsu." Fuji said slowly, his blue eyes shining from beneath the curtain of brown hair covering his face. "Ryoma is now the head of the Tsuki Clan and ruler of the people who claim their heritage from the Makai."

OxOxOxOx

"You should have called for someone when you woke up, Ryoma." Oishi murmured to the sulking preteen sitting on the bed as he carefully cleaned and re-bandanged the still bleeding cuts. "You've been asleep for two days now. You should know better than to get out of bed after just waking up from that kind of trauma."

"Oishi."

Pausing in his mild scolding, Oishi glanced up to meet Ryoma's hesitant gaze. "What is it Ryoma-chan?"

"Do you…" Ryoma swallowed nervously as his fingers gripped the sheets of his bed tightly. "Do you think that they'll believe Syuusuke when he finishes telling them everything?"

Tying off the last of the bandages, Oishi stood and sat down on the bed beside the nerve-wracked youth, wrapping an arm comfortably around the slim shoulders. Sighing softly when Ryoma shifted his head to lean against his shoulder, Oishi struggled to find words that Ryoma would accept. "I think it'll be a shock to them at first, but give them some time to think about it and they'll accept it. They know you Ryoma, and they know Syuusuke. Syuusuke may be sadistic, but even they know that Syuusuke wouldn't make something up about something so serious."

"Are you sure?"

"They saw everything I saw, Ryoma. If they want to deny the truth after seeing it, then perhaps they aren't the people we've always believed them to be. They helped to bury your family and even stayed here for two days at Fuji's request. I doubt that they'll decide to abandon you at this point, Ryoma-chan."

Yawning as he snuggled deeper in the reassuring embrace of his sempai, Ryoma wondered briefly why it was that Oishi was always able to see past his arrogance to the still uncertain child underneath. Setting the thoughts aside to ponder on another day, Ryoma yawned again as his eyes slowly slipped shut and he missed Oishi's last words to him even as he fell back into the realms of sleep.

"They'll understand even if Eiji and I need to tie them up and let Syuusuke torture them a bit for them to do so. I won't let them hurt you, Ryoma-chan and I know that Eiji and Syuusuke feel the same way I do."

OxOxOxOx

Strolling into the kitchen, Eiji stopped short when he noticed Fuji already in the kitchen. The brown haired tensai sat stiffly at the kitchen table, a cup of hot tea cradled between his hands as he stared down at it as though looking for answers. All cheer that Eiji had felt from finding Yuuko for Ryoma vanished instantly as his mind connected the dots about the reasons for Fuji staying behind while he and Yumiko were sent off.

"Fujiko?"

"Hmm?"

"You told them, nya?"

"Aa."

Sitting down quietly beside the silent unsmiling tensai, Eiji gently pulled the hot cup of tea from unresisting fingers and slowly sipped it himself. "What do we do now?" The acrobat questioned, his eyes tracing the natural patterns of the wooden table. "I found Yuuko-san like Ochibi wanted, nya. But why does he want the keys now?"

"I don't know, Eiji." Fuji admitted with a long drawn out sigh as he lifted a hand to run through his hair raggedly. "This was an attack against his family. Against one of us. You know that the council will be out for blood with this attack."

"And others will see it as a chance to remove the Tsuki Clan from power." Oishi smoothly inserted himself into the conversation as he joined the pair in sitting at the kitchen table. "Whatever Ryoma-chan does will be scrutinized closely, with some waiting for him to make a mistake. We should begin making plans to protect him as best we can."

"Saa…then I guess I better call Kippei, Sanada, Seiichi and Keigo. If we're going to hold the council at bay, then we're going to need their help." Digging into the pockets of his hands, Fuji pulled a small black cell phone. Opening the phone, Fuji began scrolling through the Address Book searching for the numbers he needed to call when he froze at Oishi's next question.

"What did the team say when you told them, Syuusuke?"

OxOxOxOx

"Here you go, Ouji-sama." Yumiko straightened from where she'd knelt down to dig through the bag she'd brought with her. Turning around she held the elaborate hakama and outer layers up for inspection. "Your kaa-chan and mine have been working on the embroidery for this since you were born. If you are going to meet with the Clans as the head of the Tsuki Clan, then it's only right that you should wear the clothing your kaa-chan created for this day."

Gently running a finger along the rich cloth, Ryoma traced the threads of silver lining the outer layer of his outfit. His vision turned blurry as he remembered the last time his mother had taken out the outfit to make adjustments for his growth. The clink of metal being removed from the bag shocked him from his reverie as Yumiko pressed something cool into his hands before turning around and leaving him alone in his room for the first time since she'd arrived.

Hearing the soft click of the door as it was closed behind her, he opened his hands to stare at the simple silver necklace in his hand. It was the necklace he remembered seeing his father wear when he would leave for the Clan meetings. A simple silver chain with the symbol of the Tsuki Clan dangling from its lengths as a pendant. Closing his hand around the fragile necklace, Ryoma looked back up to eye the clothing hanging from the hook on the back of his door.

"She could have at least stayed to help me get dressed."

OxOxOxOx

Wincing as Oishi's voice reached all new heights, Fuji felt a brief moment of sympathy for the clueless team members now huddled together in a vain attempt to gain some distance from the enraged fukubuchou. After Oishi had asked him in the kitchen about the reactions of the team to his telling them the truth, he'd felt too tired to attempt to gloss over the general reaction. The end result of his unusually tactless slip of the tongue garnered the ability to watch Oishi's face rapidly darkening expression, before the usually gentle teen excused himself from the room. Seconds later, Eiji jumped from his seat at the kitchen table when they heard the loud sound of a door being slammed open violently, followed closely by the raised voice of Oishi. Rising from his own chair at the empty kitchen table, Fuji lifted the half full cup and emptied the cold tea into the sink before turning the water on and rinsing the cup out. Drying the cup off with a towel he'd found, Fuji put it back into the cabinet with the other cups, a small smile quirking his lips. Turning the lights of the kitchen off, he gave a lingering glance toward the now closed door where muffled shouts could be still heard. Shaking his head, Fuji climbed the staircase, passing his sister on his way up. "They really should have known better than to do something that could upset someone Oishi sees as a younger brother. And they think _I'm_ the sadistic one."

OxOxOxOx

"I don't know what in Tsukuyomi-sama's name is wrong with all of you!" Oishi paced the length of the living as he continued to rant, all the while glaring at his surprised teammates. "Ryoma-chan is still our kouhai. He's just lost the last of his family, and in a few hours he'll be leaving to meet with the heads of the other Clans in our world. The _last_ thing and I repeat the _last_ thing he needs to deal with is his teammate's narrow-minded idiocy!"

"They need time, nya."

Whipping around to glare heatedly at his partner, Oishi ground his teeth together in anger, before turning back around. "There isn't time for that, Eiji. Ryoma-chan needs all the support he can get, especially from the people he trusts."

Inui sighed. "There's something more that we haven't been told isn't there, Oishi?"

Slumping down onto the nearest solid surface, Oishi buried his face in his hands, his voice muffled. "This is like a dream come true for a few of the more ambitious clans. Ryoma-chan's only twelve and now he doesn't have the security that his family being alive gave to him."

"I assume that you mean to imply that these other clans will attempt to stage a coup d'état and remove Echizen from his position?" Inui asked, his pen moving across the paper of his notebook furiously.

"Ochibi will be challenged tonight, nya." Eiji answered, his eyes refusing to meet any of the others. "He'll have to prove his worth to succeed to the Clan Heads. If he can't do that…"

"If he can't do that, then they'll jump on that as proof of his unworthiness to be the new ruler." Oishi finished his partner's sentence gloomily.

"Why didn't he tell us, Oishi-sempai?" Momo poked his fingers together in a rare act of nervousness in front of the easygoing fukubuchou, his violet eyes downcast. "Didn't he trust us?"

"It's not like that, Momo-chan. Ryoma-chan grew up under a lot of pressure being that he was the only heir of the Tsuki Clan. He was forced to grow up sooner than he should have had to. Along with grooming him for his future responsibilities, his family impressed the need for secrecy into him. Apart from the people he grew up with, he's never really trusted anyone."

"So he didn't trust us."

"No!" Oishi exclaimed, his expression one of horror as he hastily tried to explain. "I meant that before he started going to Seigaku and joined the team, he'd never trusted anyone outside of our little circle. He trusts all of you as much as he trusts the rest of us. That's why he was so worried about telling you guys."

"Then we'll trust him as well." Tezuka said with an air of finality, breaking the pensive silence that followed Oishi's words. "We will support him no matter what happens at that meeting."

OxOxOxOx

Staring at the stubborn clothing that clung determinedly to the hook on the back of his door, Ryoma began cursing in every language he knew. Of all the things he could have inherited from his mother, he just had to inherit her bone structure and height. And he swore that if Momo-sempai and Eiji made just one more comment about his height (or lack thereof) he would go homicidal and just pay for his rackets to be restrung after he'd finished beating his sempai into submission. Caught up in his thoughts, Ryoma didn't hear the knock on his door, nor did he notice it opening until it made contact with his nose, the impact sending him sprawling to the ground.

Clutching at his nose in a vain attempt to stop the gush of blood as his nose protested the rough treatment from the door. His eyes prickling with tears, Ryoma glared up at the chuckling Fuji standing in the doorway with a hand covering his mouth.

"You know, there _are_ easier and less painful ways of getting someone's attention, Syuusuke." Ryoma grumbled around the blood still pouring from his throbbing nose.

OxOxOxOx

"You called for Ore-sama's assistance, and like the benevolent being that Ore-sama is, Ore-sama has deigned to bless you with his most gracious presence."

Ryoma stared blankly at the four boys in front of him, before slamming the front door closed. "I'm having a nightmare. It's just a nightmare and when I wake up I'll find out that Monkey King is _not_ standing on my doorstep."

"Ryoma-chan?" Oishi came into the entryway to stand behind the younger boy. "Is someone at the door?"

"No one important." Ryoma replied dryly. "Just some guys here with a monkey."

"Just some guys here with a monkey?" Oishi repeated before his eyes lit with comprehension and he jumped forward to open the door, ignoring Ryoma's vehement protests that animals weren't allowed in the house. "Keigo! I'm so sorry about that. Ryoma-chan's been a little touchy since Syuusuke accidentally hit him with a door."

"Oishi!"

"Saa…I trust that it _was_ an accident on Syuusuke's part?" Yukimura asked smoothly, his ever-present smile looking a little strained. Next to him, Sanada and Tachibana were trying to move away from the Rikkai Buchou as discreetly as possible. Ignoring the actions of the two teens, Ryoma stepped forward and in a rare display of affection hugged Yukimura around the waist tightly, hiding his red tinged cheeks in the chest of the older boy. "Sei-kun…"

Wrapping his arms around the trembling youth, Yukimura motioned with his head for Sanada and Tachibana to go inside where Oishi and Atobe had already disappeared. "Talk to me, little one." His face still hidden from view, Ryoma hesitated briefly before shaking his head. "If you need to talk later on you know you can always talk to one of us and we'll listen to you little one." Running his hands up and down Ryoma's back soothingly, Yukimura swore to himself that he would find those responsible for causing the boy so much pain. And if he felt like being generous, he might even let Fuji help him. After all, Fuji _was_ wonderfully inventive about torturing people without having to lay a hand on them, not to mention his impressive collection of cacti.

OxOxOxOx

"While Fujiko and Sei-kun are busy terrorizing…ahem I mean instructing everybody in the appropriate behaviors for a council meeting you should get dressed Ryoma." Tachibana said.

"And remove that ridiculous illusion before you do. Ore-sama will need to make adjustments according to appearance, and ore-sama cannot do that if the appearance is not your own."

"There is nothing wrong with my illusion, Keigo." Ryoma ground out through his frustration with the arrogant teen. "Syuusuke and Yuuta helped me create the illusion, so there's nothing wrong with it."

"Actually…Keigo has a point…for once."

Ignoring the last bit added by Tachibana, Atobe sighed as he looked at the mutinous expression of the golden eyed youth. "Ore-sama knows that you dislike going anywhere without your illusion, but this is important brat. The Clans will be looking to you for leadership and for proof that you are ready to govern. Continuing to hide your true face will only give them reason to doubt you where there shouldn't be."

"I _know_ that, Keigo!" Ryoma snapped.

"Then act like it, brat. This is _your_ birthright we're talking about here. Ore-sama has not spent all of these years smoothing out your rough edges for something as simple as an illusion to ruin it all!" Atobe retorted, leaning down as he continued. "The acceptance process is more than simply winning the challenges put forth to you. You must prove to them that you are able to think on a mature level and that you are responsible enough to govern us all fairly."

Sighing, the hints of a pout pulled at Ryoma's lips as he lifted a hand into the air and made a slashing motion with it. As though the movement had severed something being held in place, Ryoma's body became slimmer as green locks of hair trailed down his back.

"Now _this_ is something Ore-sama can work with."

"Fujiko and Sei-kun are going to be nightmares tonight."

OxOxOxOx

"Now everyone that is not able to attend the meeting normally will be acting as the guards for Ryoma."

"Under no circumstances are you to address Ryoma in a manner that does not reek of absolute respect and devotion."

"Ryoma is not to be addressed by anything other than Ouji-sama. In our case Ryoma-ouji-sama is acceptable but as guards you do not have the amount of familiarity needed for that particular address."

"**Don't let anyone near Ryoma unless its one of us."**

"Saa…I think that's everything, right Seiichi?"

"One would hope so, Syuusuke."

"Mada mada dane. Did you need to terrify them like that?"

"E—Echizen?"

And that is that for this chapter. I've worked my little fingers to the bone trying to get this chapter done. This is the second version and I like it better than the first one that I made. I realize that I've created some tension between Yukimura and Fuji, but there is a reason for it. Parts of the reasoning will be explained next chapter.


	4. Chapter the Third

Moon's Blood

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or Harry Potter, both belong to their respective authors. I'm just 'borrowing' them for a little while.

"Are you sure _this _is where we're supposed to be?"

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes at the belligerent tone, Ryoma stared thoughtfully at the ancient looking castle in front of them, his mind already thinking of what was going to happen when they finally announced their arrival to the Wizard's world. Tugging on the hood of the dark colored cloak covering him, Ryoma stepped forward continuing to ignore the now whining voice behind him asking if he was sure that this place was even safe to step in, let alone sleep in. Walking up the steep slope leading to the large wooden doors of the castle, he stared at them contemplatively for a moment before turning his head to look at one of his companions inquiringly.

Satisfied that his question didn't need to be voiced when the tall figure stepped forward and pushed the doors open, Ryoma took a deep breath and tugged once more on the hood of his cloak making sure that his face was still concealed from view. When they'd decided to have a day out with the team nearly a year ago no one, and least of all him, had thought that a year later they would be standing on the doorstep of one of the oldest magic institutions in Europe. A bitter smile curved his lips as he passed through the now open doorway into the school that had once taught the man, if he could even be called that with any sort of truth in those words that had sought to take control of the power his family commanded.

The comforting press of another's hand over his own caused his eyes to snap up from where they'd been studying the castle's interior intently to meet a pair of concerned blue eyes. Squeezing his own hand in response to the warm concern, Ryoma shook off the dark feelings taking root in him once again and turned to face the hallway leading to the Great Hall. Here they were in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and for better or for worse they were _definitely _going to make sure that Europe remembered why the Tsuki clan had always retained their position of power in the magical world.

MbmBMb

What was so difficult that Fate just couldn't seem to get her act together long enough to at least give him the _illusion_ of a peaceful Halloween? It seemed like every year that he was in the Wizarding World; he just couldn't pass a Halloween without something happening. Viciously biting into the chicken thigh he'd plucked from the myriad of dishes on the Gryffindor table, Harry Potter let his mind wander as he methodically ate the food that Hermione kept sneaking onto his plate when she thought he wasn't looking.

Idly his mind returned to the vision of Voldemort that he'd had almost a year ago. He'd seen Voldemort summon his Death Eaters before they left for some part of Asia, which part he wasn't sure of he was just certain that it was Asia, and they'd immediately begun searching for something that sounded like Sue Key. The vision had seemed like it was going to taper off into the normal realms of sleep when Voldemort had begun laughing in a manner that he hadn't heard since the night in the graveyard. He'd felt a chill run down his spine, never mind the fact that he was still technically asleep because he couldn't stop the chill, at the look of delight and what looked like desire in his crimson eyes as one of Death Eaters said that they'd found what they were searching for.

Tugged along in Voldemort's wake, Harry could do nothing but watch as Voldemort and his Death Eaters arrived at a place that filled him with a feeling of peace, a feeling that he knew in the depths of his soul wasn't going to last much longer. One long bony finger had reached out to the touch the outer gates of the house when a shimmering field of green repulsed Voldemort's hand by pushing him away forcefully. He'd felt the searing rage that had overtaken Voldemort at the forceful refusal of the wards to allow him entrance and his breath had caught in his throat when he felt the waves of Dark Magic begin to pound on the wards. Even with as ancient and well constructed as the wards were, even they could not hold up to the continual onslaught of Dark Magic from both Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

As the group of Dark Wizards swept into the gates of the house, Harry wondered what kind of people lived here that they held no protection against the type of Dark Magic Voldemort was infamous for in their wards. It seemed strange to him that such a serene place would have a weakness that could be exploited so easily. Continuing to follow behind the snake like wizard, Harry felt a pang in his heart at seeing what looked like a loving family standing outside in the cool fall air, the females off to one side as the two males played what looked like tennis on a makeshift tennis court. He'd known the instant they'd sensed Voldemort's presence because they'd all stopped what they were doing to swivel their heads in the direction of the wizards.

He hadn't noticed it at that particular moment but later on when he'd been thinking about the vision, he realized that the youngest of those there, a boy that looked like he was only about twelve had looked at him and he knew that the boy had seen him there. But at that particular moment in time he hadn't been able to realize it because both his heart and mind were too busy reeling with the shock of Voldemort's words to the small family that had huddled together for protection, the father of the group having pulled out a staff of some sort while Harry wasn't looking.

"Give me the child and your family will be left in peace."

What was it with Voldemort and trying to take children away from their families? At least the boy who was being pushed into the center of the protective huddle by his family members was older than Harry himself had been. Not that knowing you were the reason for your parents deaths was made any easier by an advancement of your age. And it certainly didn't look as though it had been made any easier for the boy he was watching so attentively.

But there was also something else he'd noticed during the ensuing fight that had seemed a little odd in retrospect; he'd seen the boy's father hesitate for a moment, his amber eyes turned away as though glancing at someone only he could see. And it was at that moment that the flash of green light had hit the man, closely followed by the older of the women screaming. The boy had simply stopped the incantation he'd been in the process of releasing and had stared in abject horror and disbelief at the sight of his father falling to the ground with a look of resigned acceptance etched onto his frozen features.

For a brief second he'd honestly thought that it was all over, that Voldemort would get the boy and somehow use him to make the upcoming war even harder than it was already going to be. Then he'd noticed the blank look in the boy's amber eyes fading as he looked up and ran forward to grab the staff his father had been holding. Absently he'd wondered if he would have been able to do the same if he'd been older when his parents died.

By the time the boy and Voldemort were alone with the majority of the Death Eaters lying dead on the ground or close to it, Harry had already closed his eyes against the sight of the youth's shuttered gaze. His magic had called out to the boy when he'd stumbled and had managed to catch his balance before he could topple onto the leaf-strewn ground. He didn't know why but his magic seemed insistent on being closer to the boy so without thinking he'd stepped away from the corner where he normally tried to stay in during a vision and had moved to the boy's side, only to stop when the dark head had shaken slightly in a clear negative.

So he'd stood by as the boy had clearly gathered what little remained of his strength, his amber eyes piercing as they glared at the monster that had given even _him_ nightmares at that age and had softly begun to call out to something in a language that he had never heard before as the staff that had been held so tightly gradually disappeared. It had been so hard for him to stand there and do nothing while the younger boy had fought for his life against Voldemort, Harry still wasn't sure what it was that Voldmort had wanted that night he only knew that the boy would have followed his family in death before giving it to the Dark Lord.

Watching as the tainted magic from Voldemort had battered at the white shield surrounding the boy, Harry wondered if he might have felt the same way if he'd actually been forced to watch Voldemort kill the unicorn back in his first year. To him the feeling of purity and innocence that practically radiated from the boy was nearly the same as a unicorn's own aura, it was something that gave a person a feeling of serenity, a feeling that for once all was right with the world and that nothing could destroy it or take it away from you even though there would be those who would try to do so.

When a teen about his age, maybe even a little younger than him had come running into the courtyard with fear written across every inch of his face, he'd sighed in relief at the thought that the other boy wouldn't be alone anymore. Surprisingly, something about the teen's appearance had signaled to Voldemort that it was time for him to leave with or without his prize, and so he had, but not before leaving the boy with words that he was sure would remain in the boy's nightmares for months to follow. _'You will become mine.'_ Then as if that hadn't been enough, the younger boy had turned to him and looked at him again for the third time that night and had told him, '_Sleep. Be at peace. His terrors will bother you no more tonight. Go. You have no place here._"

And regardless of what he'd wanted, Harry had felt the boy's magic brushing against his own. The result being that his magic had jumped wildly at the light caressing feel of the foreign magic and had tugged him back into sleep. When he'd awoken the next morning his first thought had been to write Dumbledore and tell him about the latest vision but his magic had felt as though it were crawling under his skin angrily at the mere _thought_ that he would tell Dumbledore about the boy or rather the interest Voldemort seemed to have in the boy. So he'd left it alone and he hadn't said anything to anyone about the vision.

But in the year since he'd had the vision he'd spent every moment that he could spare, without someone getting suspicious, on trying to find any sort of information on the boy or his family. So far all he'd found was a legend about the ruling families of Japan which had confused him since he had been fairly certain that Japan held only one ruling family. Returning his attention back to his food, Harry glanced around the table to see that the dinner dishes had already been replaced with those of desert, meaning that he had missed his chance to eat that lovely looking shepherd's pie he'd been eyeing before he got lost in thought.

Stifling a sigh, vivid green eyes snapped up as the doors to the Great Hall slammed open and a group of people wearing dark cloaks with the hoods hiding their faces from view swept in. Alarmed, Harry's gaze swung up to the head table to see Remus already standing up, a look of pure disbelief etched on his face as his eyes seemed riveted on the symbol neatly embroidered over the left breast of each cloak. Turning back to look at the symbol himself, his breath caught in his throat as he realized that he recognized the circle of moons in various phases done in silver thread.

Unconsciously he began to rise from his seat, his magic urging him on as the group made their way down the center aisle of the Great Hall before coming to a stop in front of the Head Table. The group of figures parted to reveal a smaller figure standing protectively in the center of them all, their hoods still hiding their faces from the curious gazes pointed at them. Stepping away from the protective circle, the small figure raised delicate looking hands to pull down the hood of his cloak, revealing the slightly more mature features of the boy he'd seen in his vision.

"Japan offers its aid."

Stunned by the melodious tones of the boy's voice, Harry's eyes turned to see Dumbledore's calculating ones, although the calculation he was sure he'd seen was swiftly replaced by the familiar twinkle. Apparently he wasn't the only one to see as two figures detached themselves from the main group to stand beside the slim boy, their own hoods slipping down to rest around their necks.

"Perhaps we should clarify what Hikari-sama means." The one with the cold blue eyes said, as the teen with the oddest shade of hair he'd ever seen nodded tightly in agreement as he too spoke up. "The royal family was attacked a year ago by your Dark Lord," The blue haired boy seemed to sneer the words with as much derision as he could fit it, "with our council's approval, Japan has declared war upon him for his blatant disregard for the lives of the Tsuki Clan."

"Hikari-sama now remains as the sole surviving member of the family that rules the magical community in our country." The first boy cut in smoothly once the other was finished. "It is only through his determination to bring an end to that _creature's_ rule that we even offer an alliance."

"We would be honored—"

Dumbledore never got a chance to finish his speech of gracious acceptance because both boys had abruptly left the center aisle and came to a halt before Harry. Emerald eyes widened in confusion when both teen's knelt before him, their cloaks sweeping gracefully behind them as they did so. Looking wildly around the room, Harry met the watchful amber eyes of the other boy staring at him as the emerald head dipped as though encouraging him.

"We are the advisors to Hikari-sama. We are his voice in all matters." Intoned the two voices of the kneeling teen's as Harry turned his attention back to them. "I am Fuji Syuusuke." The teen with the cold eyes introduced himself, his brown hair falling into his eyes. "And I am Yukimura Seiichi." The other teen with the blue colored hair said quietly. "We are two of the chosen guardians of Tsuki no Hikari while he remains in your lands for the duration of the war. We have been given permission to present Harry Potter with an offer of alliance."

"With me?"

"Yes." His eyes snapping back up when he heard that strangely melodious voice speak next to him, Harry looked down slightly to meet the serious golden gaze pinned on him. "As the last remaining member of your family, you are the only person within these lands that is of a rank that could be considered equal to my own. I am the light of my people as you are the hope of yours. Apart neither can do what they were intended to do, but together light and hope can accomplish that which was only thought to be possible in dreams."

"What?" Harry asked, as the other boy's eyebrows raised before golden eyes narrowed and the green-haired boy spun around, his cloak whirling around his ankles as he faced the Head Table, or more specifically Dumbledore.

"You meddlesome _**baka**_!" The younger boy seethed, his hands clenching into tight fists at his side as he stalked his way down the center aisle once more, ignoring his guardians still clustered in front. "Do you think the line of ascension is a toy for you to play with? The _**Kami's**_ themselves chose the lines of royalty that rule the communities of magic. Do you dare to think that the magic you hold is greater than the ones those descended from the _**Kami's**_ were blessed with?"

"My dear boy—"

Dumbledore was once again cut off, but this time by the swishing of a metallic object imbedding itself into the wooden table before him. "Don't think that you know Hikari-sama well enough to address him like that." Gaping in shock at the redhead that stood glaring at the Headmaster of his school, Harry composed himself when the boy everyone kept referring to as Hikari-sama spoke.

"If you have determined that he is to be deprived of his rights," Hikari said softly, everyone in the Great Hall straining their ears to hear his voice, "then I have no choice but to claim his rights for him."

"Sto—"

"The Tsuki Clan will take the last living descendant of LeFAye into their care." Hikari finished his eyes sparkling maliciously at the elderly man as soft tendrils of green hair escaped the confines of the tight braid holding them. "LeFaye's children no longer remain in your grasp to control. Make no mistake in thinking that the Tsuki clan will be so easily controlled either, as the only reason you held LeFaye was through ignorance."

"LeFaye?" Harry asked uncertain that he'd right, after all wasn't Morgan LeFaye one of the Dark Witches he'd heard about in History of Magic?

"Morgan LeFAye was one of your ancestors and was painted in the light that she was because your ministry wished to hide the fact that they had her killed for no other reason than to end the line of succession that once ruled your community. Your so-called hero, Merlin was nothing more than a murderous assassin doing the bidding of others who wished to make a grasp for power that was not theirs to hold."

And this chapter is done for the moment. I couldn't really fit much else in without it turning into a long-winded, God knows how long chapter. So I decided to cut it off here. Yes, there is a time skip of a year, but that was because I came to the conclusion that after the last chapter it was the only thing I could do. It is so frustrating when you're trying not to do a timeskip and all your mind can come up with is this image of the boys in cloaks standing outside of Hogwarts. I swear I really did try to avoid a time skip at all costs, but unfortunately my mind seemed to be against at the moment so I had no choice but to go along with the flow.


	5. Chapter the Fourth

Moon's Blood

A/N: I realize that this doesn't explain what happened at the end of the last chapter but I already have plans for that to be explained in the next. It just wouldn't come out right any other way.

"_Keeping Ryoma safe is the only reason you're here." Fuji said softly, his open blue eyes following the slight figure stepping through the enormous wooden doors of the council room just down the hall. Fingernails digging into the soft skin of his palms, Fuji ignored the blossoming pain and the spreading feeling of liquid warmth dripping to the stone floor as he watched the council doors close._

"_Is there something more to the possible coup d'état than what we've been told?" Inui asked, valiantly resisting the urge to step behind Tezuka as the arctic sapphire gaze pinned itself upon his bespectacled form._

"_The brat is the last of the Tsuki clan." Atobe spoke up from where he was leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "If he fails the tests he's given then they will see that as a sign that the Tsuki clan has become weak. Weakness in our society is not to be tolerated— the weak are dead without the stronger to protect them."_

"_But I thought Ryo—," Momo hastened to correct himself under the force of the twin glares he was receiving from Yukimura and Fuji. "I mean, Ouji-sama was next in line anyway."_

"_He is. But that doesn't mean anything if the last blood of Tsukuyomi-sama is proven to be weak." Oishi said his face downcast as he avoided meeting the curious gazes of his teammates. "Our laws are different than those that govern the blood of Amaterasu-sama. All of us owe our lives to the will of Tsukuyomi-sama and in extension his living chosen. It's because of his blood that there are many who would see Ryoma's continued existence as an insult if he were to fail his tests."_

"_I know it sounds unbelievable or even cruel, but for us it is what we have known since our earliest childhood."_

"_Stop coddling them, Seiichi." Sanada grumbled as he came to stand behind the blue-haired teen. "The Tsuki clan's got a lot of enemies who would love nothing more than to see the clan wiped from existence to give way for a new succession of power. Ryoma's age only makes things more difficult for him than they should be. His power still isn't fully matured and the tests shouldn't be taken until he's reached the age of majority. But there isn't a close enough blood relative to act as regent in his stead until that time so he's left with the only option of being forced to show his willingness and worthiness as our ruler."_

"_That leaves the question of why you're bringing this up now." Tezuka said suspiciously._

"_Because we won't allow Ryoma to be murdered if he fails the tests," Sanada replied, his eyes holding a challenging glint to them as he stared at the other teen. "But any who assist him will be marked for death as punishment for preventing the cleansing of Tsukuyomi-sama's line."_

HpPoT

_He knew this room as well as he could ever know it without first reaching the age of majority. Drawing a deep breath as he carefully wiped his face clean of any emotion; Ryoma felt the quiet swish of his hair brushing against his black and silver clothing as he stepped into the room. Concentrating on the comforting weight of the pendent hidden beneath his clothing as he met the stares of those in the room, the preteen violently pushed away the rising nervousness and apprehension as he came to a halt in the center of the clan heads gathered. _

"_What claim of blood do you hold brings you here?"_

"_Tsuki no Hikari," Ryoma answered quietly, "last heir of the Tsuki clan and Tsukuyomi-sama." Glancing around the different clan heads with his chin tilted defiantly, the youth caught the discreet nod of approval from the head of the Sanada clan as his eyes passed over him. Tension slowly bleeding from him at the small movement from one of his tutors as a child, Ryoma fixed his attention on the head of the Fuji clan as the man stood to begin speaking._

"_Let us begin these proceedings first with our most heartfelt sympathies for the tragedies that have befallen the Tsuki clan, Ouji-sama." The elder Fuji said as he shook his sleeves away from his hands before bowing in front of the somber preteen, the others in the small room following suit. "Those who would attack the line of Tsukuyomi-sama will be found and I will personally assure their punishment is dealt from our own."_

_Ryoma remained silent while he bowed in recognition of the man's words. "The loss of the Tsuki clan has left us bereft of a leader's guidance. As it has been our custom in the years since the passing of the first son of Tsukuyomi-sama, the clans have been called to test the worthiness of the one willing to claim the rights afforded to him by blood." Piercing golden eyes met the elder Fuji's gaze unflinchingly as he subconsciously straightened his posture. "Who among us will stand as witness to these tests?"_

HpPoT

"Can I ask you something?" Ryoma looked up at the older teen as he sat on the couch across from the him, the flickers cast by the fireplace dancing across his face. "Why couldn't you stop him? I mean, you've got to have some kind of power that he wants or he wouldn't have even been looking for you—."

"Because everyone has a weakness that makes whatever power you hold useless." The younger teen answered somberly as he stared intently at the rich burgundy carpet covering the floor. "I should never have been allowed to ascend the throne until I reached the age of majority. But circumstances dictated otherwise and one of my greatest weaknesses is protected by those around me."

"That—that doesn't make any sense," Harry said slowly. "If you shouldn't be in control then why are you?"

"Because the heads of the Tsuki clan are more than just regents," Ryoma said with an air of someone remembering an oft-repeated lesson. "Those of the Tsuki clan are the descendants of the only mortal offspring ever sired by Tsukuyomi-sama. We are bound by the oath sworn by our ancestors to act as guardians to those who have chosen to forsake the safety of the Makai for the Ningenkai."

"The magic that Merlin used to assassinate LeFaye is the only true darkness that my people are susceptible to. It was also what led me to realize that you were the last heir of LeFaye after word reached us of your actions as an infant." Green eyes widened in dawning comprehension as the younger of the pair continued to speak. "Our vulnerability is increased in direct correlation to our age. Your magic recognized what was happening and took steps to protect both itself and you without any conscious direction needed."

"But—but my mum," Harry stuttered over the words as he tore his gaze away from the understanding amber in front of him. "It was her—she died to save me."

"And in doing so, she released the last of the restraints placed upon your magic. Her actions are what saved the last of the LeFaye line that night." Leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees as shadows cast by the fire danced across his face, Ryoma shut his eyes to the sight of the dancing flames. "It is a protection that remains in all who carry the last of their blood but only shows itself in those too young to defend themselves from the harm seeking to do injury."

"Like what?"

"You saw my shield. It remains a shield that only those who have yet to see their majority are able to call upon and even then, most require the presence of another with similar blood in order to maintain the strength needed for the shield." Standing abruptly from the chair and exiting the room, he returned a few moments later holding something in his hands as he ignored the curious look being directed towards him. "But as my aunt is fond of telling me, there is nothing in this world that comes without a price. The price we pay for our protection is in the blood of our family."

Holding his hand when the other teen held his own out, shimmering silver dangling from the lightly closed fist, Harry stared in complete and utter fascination at the intricate folds of metal being laid in his open palm. "You have before you the offer of the protection that the Tsuki clan and its allies can provide you in this war but to gain it you will lose the protection of Merlin's legacy as payment." Nodding as the younger boy left the room again, Harry relaxed further into the comfortable cushions of the couch and let the crackling hum of the fire lull him into sleep.

HpPoT

"What are we going to do? That was the Head of the Tsuki Clan! It's not as though any can call his words lies or at least not those that already know the truth as it happened."

"We will do as our ancestors swore we would."

"But what about—."

"Do you honestly believe that Tsuki-no-Hikari is here to offer aid and nothing else? There's something more going on here than we're allowed to know but there is nothing else we can do other than fulfill our oaths."

"You know what'll happen once we do that."

"If they chose to become known as betrayers for denying the oath that is tied to our blood then there is nothing they can do to us that will not have already been done to them."

"Good because I still have my siblings to think of and I have no intentions of becoming like the Weasley's in order to support them."

HpPoT

I have no real excuses other than Ryoma can be a little, well I guess the word would be difficult. I think I had a few different versions of this chapter before I finally settled on one and finished writing it because it flowed with what had already been written. Progress on the next chapter has already been made but will be put on hold until I have the next chapter of Experiences and Winds up.


	6. Chapter the Fifth

Moon's Blood

A/N: This is a really, really short chapter but unfortunately it was one of those that wouldn't allow itself to be written past the first and only scene.

Ookami – Wolf

Hitsuzen – Inevitable or Fate (Depends on the translation you can find)

Akuma – Evil Spirit (Descriptions of said spirit typically involve red eyes and according to some sources are said to bring bad luck to the viewer.)

Chichi-ue/Haha-ue – Formal and older way of saying Father and Mother

Oba-san – Aunt

"You've managed to frighten quite a few of those present for dinner tonight in the Great Hall." A voice called out softly to the slim figure standing in the pale moonlight filtering through the leaves of the trees that lined the stone walls of the castle. "There are more than a few who are becoming convinced that you're simply using Harry as a way for the Tsuki clan to gain control of the population of magical Britain."

"I am here for the honor of my clan and the price for doing so is preparing the LeFaye heir for the responsibilities that will be his once the war has reached its conclusion."

"Is Miss Ichihara the only reason you have for being here?" Remus asked tightly, amber flecked brown eyes gazing down questioningly at the youth. "Harry deserves better than that and if that's—."

"LeFaye-san and I hold a connection through the thinned blood in his veins that links to the blood that runs in mine. One of Yuuko-_oba-san's_ favorite sayings is that there is no coincidence, only _Hitsuzen_." Shadowed gold peeked out from beneath thick lashes as Ryoma met Remus' eyes. "He watched as my family was taken from me in the same manner that his were taken from him. We were both unable to do more than watch and the mark of their sacrifice lives within the both of us in that we are afforded the slimmest of protections from the _akuma_."

"You know."

A bitter laugh bubbled up from deep within Ryoma's chest as gold eyes glittered mirthlessly. "That LeFaye-san is your 'Chosen One'? Or that your Chosen One is only the Chosen One because of the blood that flows within him? Blood that came from his _chichi-ue_ and that you denied when you refused the call that demanded you send him to us instead of allowing him to live with those his _haha-ue_ no longer counted as family."

"I had no choice—."

"He threatened your life free of the fear that has been allowed to run rampant without the LeFaye to keep watch." Ryoma hissed the words out, his blank expression struggling for a moment before dropping completely as his face tightened with anger. "He threatened you but at no time did you lose the ability to make the choice that you were all but obliged to make in order to fulfill your obligations!" Hands clenching tightly together into a fist, the teen made a subtle motion with one hand to wave the others back into the trees as his raised voice drew their attentions and concern. "LeFaye-san has always soothed your _ookami_ in ways that no potion ever can and you know this to be true. If it had been lies then you would have killed LeFaye-san along with his friends that night regardless of his position as the cub of your pack. Your _ookami_ would not have been able to make that distinction without the aid of the potion that was forgotten."

"They wouldn't have allowed it." Remus swallowed hard against the rising swell of unease that was churning about in his stomach like a miniature ocean. "They would have followed and he wouldn't have been safe no matter where he was hidden. Dumbledore did what was best for Harry."

"He was raised as a servant and left in ignorance as to his abilities and responsibilities! I would have thought better of a descendant coming from a line still loyal to the LeFaye clan."

"I had no choice!"

"And there are others with as little choice as you claim but will choose to stand with LeFaye-san as their blood dictates when the time for choices comes." Ryoma stated coldly as cool rain droplets began to fall from the clouds gathering overhead as they slowly covered the crescent moon. "How does it feel to know that the errors you and so many others have made will be resolved with the blood of children who know what is right and are willing to fight so that others will live to see it as they have?"

Spinning sharply on his heel, the teen ignored the wounded look on the older man's face as he listened to the whispers of the trees around him as they guided him back to the grassy grounds surrounding the castle. Wind tugging playfully at the hood of his cloak, Ryoma allowed it to fall back onto his shoulders as another pair of footsteps rustling through the grass joined his own. "You could have found an easier way to remind him of the reasons for his loyalty, Ryo-chan."

"I could have," Ryoma admitted grudgingly, "but he wouldn't have accepted it. There are some things that have to be dealt with in a manner that falls outside of diplomacy. He betrayed the oath that he had renewed and it was no longer something that could be allowed to remain unacknowledged. LeFaye-san doesn't know that he was betrayed but I do."

"You're letting yourself care, Ryo-chan." Oishi's teasing words were delivered in a sing-song like lilt as a faint smile tugged at his lips when the moisture-laden wind seemed to caress his face before returning to tugging at the black cloak of his companion.

"Would you stop calling me Ryo-chan already?" The younger teen hissed indignantly as he shot a dark look at the locks of hair that had become tangled in the buttons of his cloak. "_Okaa-san_ might have thought it was cute when I was five but in case you haven't noticed that was a long time ago!"

"Do you even remember when we met?"

"Of course I do! It's hard to forget when someone mistakes you for a girl and years later is still too stubborn—."

"I call you Ryo-chan because I don't want you to forget that you still have allies around you who know you and not Tsuki-no-Hikari." Oishi admitted with a soft smile as he stopped to rest one hand on top of the shorter male's windswept hair. "For all that you call LeFaye-sama a child; you seem to forget that you are even younger than he is."

"There is no time for me to be a child, Oishi-sempai." Ryoma said as he looked up at Oishi with a serious look on his face. "A child isn't able to act the way that is expected of me."


	7. Chapter the Sixth

Moon's Blood

Warning: I normally don't do these but some of the legends I used mean that I have to do this. There is mentions of incest (not between any of the current characters) and rape.

Undoing the laces of his cloak he reentered the quarters that had been given to him by Hogwarts herself, regardless of a certain Headmaster's wishes the castle had shown herself to be nothing but gracious as she made certain that his group was as comfortable as could be under the circumstances. Shrugging the heavy material from his shoulders as he folded it over his arm, golden eyes widened as they noticed the shadow cast along the floor from the figure sitting on the small couch in front of the flickering fire. "Oishi will not be pleased to see that you are not asleep." He commented softly as he moved to the couch and settled his cloak over its back. "He's rather particular about making absolute certain that everyone under his care is healthy and he won't believe for a second that missing sleep is in any way conducive to remaining healthy."

"Tell me about Morgan LeFaye." Vivid emerald eyes sparkled up at him with a cold, calculating intelligence glimmering from behind the round lenses of the glasses covering them. For the briefest of moments he was left stunned as he had begun to lose hope for the LeFaye Clan with the apparent naïveté displayed by the lines only heir. But this… this was something he could work with and shape into the heir and leader the land needed. "You said that I was descended from her but everyone knows that her only child and heir was Mordred LeFaye and he was killed by King Arthur during the last days of Camelot's Golden Age."

"Tell me what do you know of the King's Queen Consort?" Ryoma asked as he moved from the back of the couch to kneel gracefully in front of the fireplace to begin rebuilding the fire. "Do you know of the legends that say she betrayed the King with one of his own Knights?"

"Yeah." Harry said slowly watching as the younger teen leant forward to blow onto the fire in an attempt to coax the flames into rising high enough to ignite the newly placed log. "Guinevere was the daughter of King Leodegan. She married King Arthur and later had an affair with Lancelot which forced Arthur into banishing Lancelot and sentencing her to burn at the stake for adultery."

"Then you know of the lies that Merlin made certain was spread and known to be as truth since it was his word. Gwenhwyfar was the Queen Consort of Camelot's prophesized King." Leaning back as sparks leapt from the fire as the log finally caught, Ryoma leaned back onto his haunches as he watched the flames flickering and twisting. "Gwenhwyfar was the daughter of Gogrfan and was what I believe most call a giant. Her beauty was such that many believed her to be a Goddess given mortal form and that it was she who chose the land's King."

"A giant." Skepticism clung heavily to his voice as he leaned back into the couch's cushioning and rested his head back against the back. "You want me to believe that Guinevere was a giant's daughter and no one noticed because she was so beautiful?"

"You have seen portraits of the King and his Queen Consort hung in this school's library and there are many books which hold their likeness as well as the many others who were around them. Tell me, have you not noticed that there is never a portrait to be found of King Leodegan? A King who is said to have been among the first to accept and support King Arthur as his overlord." Rubbing the ash from his hands onto his pants with a mental grimace at the fit Atobe was likely to have, Ryoma stared pensively down at the twining flames. "Gwenhwyfar was well loved by the King's people and for that love her people chose to protect her from any who would act against her for the blood that ran through her veins."

"That doesn't tell me how I'm descended from Morgan LeFaye or how you're so certain that I am."

"Mordred LeFaye was the bastard child that the Gods gifted to Morgan LeFaye as reparation for the methods of his conception. Merlin would have had the world believe Morgan LeFaye to be nothing more than a cunning sorceress who bedded her brother in order to gain the child that would become the one responsible for her brother's fall." Sighing softly as he brushed a strand of hair from his eyes Ryoma rose and turned to face the couch. "King Arthur raped his sister and from that rape Mordred was born. Prophecy is a way for the Gods to fix what has been broken by forces outside of their influence. In this case Arthur committed a crime and sin against the Gods when he chose to rape his sister out of lust for the woman that she had become. Mordred was born to be the King's downfall and after the battle of Camlann Arthur lay dying of his wounds on Avalon knowing that all he had created would fall with his death and that the prophecy he had fought so hard against would be fulfilled."

"You're lying" Harry burst into motion his hands fisted tightly as he stood the silver hidden in his hand pressing harshly into his palm. "Someone would have made a record of it. Made certain that it was known to history."

"History is written by the victors. Arthur was usurped from his throne long before the battle of Camlann when Gwenhwyfar chose to take Mordred as her husband instead and she gave him two sons." Golden eyes glittering as he met the other's gaze unflinchingly Ryoma forced his distaste for the subject away as he continued. "Those sons were taken into families from Camelot's wizarding nobility. Families that Gwenhwyfar and Mordred both trusted with the safety of their progeny. It is from the line of the youngest that your mother was born into and from the line of the eldest that your father was heir to."

"Hikari-sama!" Oishi's voice rang through the room as the older teen entered the room, the door closing quietly behind him. "I would have thought you in bed already. It's late and we have an early morning. You know how Atobe is. He'll be up before the sun to get suitable clothing for..."

"I think I'm going to bed now." Harry said loudly as he hurriedly turned and brushed past Oishi to get to the set of stairs leading to the bedrooms. He couldn't be telling the truth, he thought to himself as he pushed open the door of his new bedroom and stepped across the room to flop on his bed. Opening his hand to look at the slender strands of silver woven together to make the bit of jewelry the other had handed him, Harry traced the lines of the necklaces pendant. It couldn't be the truth but… but if it wasn't the truth then why did the other boy look so sad to tell him? Curling up onto his side he pulled his glasses off and set them on the nightstand before allowing sleep to claim him.

A/N: This is what happens when you read up on Arthurian legends and it's two in the morning. None of these were made up and can be found if you go looking for them. The only liberties I took were in twining several different legends together to meet the needs I had for this fic. Lily and James will be more thoroughly explained in chapters to come.


	8. Chapter the Seventh

**Mahoutsukai : Wizard**

**Makai : World of Spirits/Hell**

**Akuma : Evil Spirit (Descriptions of said spirit typically involve red eyes and according to some sources are said to bring bad luck to the viewer.)**

-:-..-:-

He was going to snap. He was going to lose his temper as the sliver thin shreds of control struggled to keep hold of his temper as his mind rapidly pieced everything together. Hands gathered in his lap golden eyes looked up to meet twinkling blue and the final threads of his control snapped as he gritted his teeth together and his magic coiled inside him in a sinuous fashion. Unlacing his fingers from where they'd been resting in his lap he stood with carefully controlled menace as he ignored the looks of worry, confusion and indignation he received from the wizards in the room as he interrupted the wizened wizard mid-word. "Enough." The words hissed through his teeth as his hands curled into fists at his side before a calming hand came to rest on his shoulder the comforting slide of fingers against his collar bone shocking him back to himself.

Inhaling sharply through his nose he watched the looks on Oishi's and Eiji's faces darken as Atobe moved to explain his conclusions to them in hushed tones. "Well played, _Mahoutsukai_-_san_." Ryoma said softly as he brought his hands together to begin clapping as the wizard stood from his chair. "Your machinations and plotting are comparable to any played within the Imperial families. I know of several families within the _Makai_ that would pay in the blood of their Firstborn to have you at their sides as an advisor."

"My dear boy—" Dumbledore stopped midsentence as glittering golden eyes looked up at him, the look within those orbs sending a chill through his body and forcing him to sink back into his seat.

"You forget yourself, Dumbledore-_san_. I am not one of your puppets nor am I one of those that are content to follow you in place of thinking for themselves." Gone was the anger and in its place was the iron control that had been instilled in him since he was old enough to begin speaking. Settling back into his chair in a comfortable sprawl with his elbow propped up on the arm of the chair while his cheek rested on his closed hand Ryoma smiled with half lidded eyes. "You seem to forget yourself and your place quite often, Dumbledore-san. It could lead one to… _unfavorable_ impressions."

"My apologies, Hikari-_sama_," Dumbledore said stiffly as he leveled a quelling look at the potions professor in the corner of his office as the man snorted. "I'm afraid that I did indeed forget myself in a moment of confusion as to what you could be referring to."

"You insult my intelligence by expecting me to believe such words that hold no ounce of truth to them." Ryoma drawled idly as he raised an eyebrow at the older wizard as the twinkle in the other's eyes seemed to lessen in intensity. "But no matter let us start with the beginning. You knew that James and Lily Potter were each descended from the LeFaye family with James-_san_ being its heir as the Potters lineage can be traced back to the eldest of the sons from the LeFaye line. You knew that when you suggested that they go into hiding with their infant son and new heir to the LeFaye line because you knew that Voldemort--." Pausing to roll his eyes at the shudder running through the wizards in the room at the mention of the _akuma_'s name Ryoma sighed. "Voldemort knew as well as you did that the threat to his plans would be Harry-_kun_ because of his lineage. You allowed them to name a traitor as their Secret Keeper because you knew that he would betray them and in doing so would set your plans into motion."

"I don't know where you've gotten your information but it is sadly incorrect." Dumbledore said with the twinkle returning to his eyes as he leaned forward on his desk with his hands lacing together to allow his chin to rest on them as he spoke. "None of us could have known that Sirius Black was the traitor that had been leaking so much information to Voldemort during the first war."

"Who said I was referring to Sirius Black?"

-:-..-:-

The Great Hall was quiet as he walked into it his footsteps echoing loudly as he made his way towards the Gryffindor table for breakfast. Swinging his legs over the bench he sat down at the table next to Hermione and Ron. Pulling a plate towards himself he reached across Ron to grab a piece of toast before the red head could inhale the last of the rapidly diminishing pile of toast in front of him. Eyes sweeping over the hall he noted that Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape were absent from the Head Table which was odd considering that he'd yet to see a breakfast without the presence of all of the Heads of House along with the Headmaster. Biting into the toast as Hermione pushed a bowl of porridge over to him with a noise of exasperation Harry turned an apologetic smile towards his friend.

The inability to assault him with questions was driving the girl crazy but he knew without a doubt that she'd bite her tongue before breaking their promise to leave meals as their only refuge from the grim realities of Voldemort's return. Although it seemed as though he had far more to worry about than just Voldemort's return if he allowed himself to believe in the story given to him by the boy who'd insisted he be called Ryoma rather than the Hikari that everyone was using. Eyes narrowing as he stirred his porridge with a spoon he pondered the fact that Ryoma seemed determined to make certain that he knew everything concerning him (and wasn't that a nice change for once?) before allowing him to make a decision that had the potential to completely alter his life as he'd known it. It was times that like this that made him wish he'd never had to leave the relative safety of his cupboard. Meeting Hermione's gaze from the corner of his eye he dipped his head in a quick, shallow nod before standing from the bench his hands smoothing away any stray crumbs from his robes.

Walking through the hallways he ducked into a hallway concealed behind one of the many tapestries that lined the hallways of the castle. Fingers trailing along the cold stone he closed his eyes as he felt for the slight dip – there!- and pushed in with his fingers ignoring the sharp prick of pain as he did so. Bringing his fingers to his mouth while the stone wall began to change into an archway he licked the stray blood away from them as he walked through the archway looking over his shoulder as an out of breath Hermione and Ron slipped under the tapestry. Sinking into the soft comfort of a lavishly upholstered chair Harry winced as Hermione whirled on him the second the stone archway became nothing more than a wall again.

"Do you have any idea how worried I have been?" Hermione's voice was shaking which did not bode well for his chances of remaining free from the effects of the countless number of hexes and enchantments that were stored in the girl's mind. "Did you even stop to think that perhaps walking off with a complete stranger was not the best idea?"

"He's family, Hermione." Harry said while tilting his head back to lean on his folded arms resting along the top of the chair. "And my magic trusts him."

"Your magic trusts him?"

"It's something that isn't recorded in any book, 'Mione." Ron crossed his arms over his chest as he sat on the floor. "Some of the Pureblood families have their magic tied to their family bonds and because of that their magic recognizes family just from the feel of it because there's always something that's in it that's specific to their family so that even if the person is uncertain their magic will know the truth."

"So let's say that he _is _your family," Hermione said with a flinty gaze that told Harry there would be no getting away from giving the answers she wanted. "It still doesn't explain _how_ he's related to you."

Sitting properly in his chair with his hands running through his hair in an agitated he began to talk. There was something in all that he'd been told last night that was bothering him but he didn't know what. It was nearly lunchtime by the time he'd finished talking about everything that he'd been told by Ryoma. His expression turned cautious as Hermione made a small noise as the girl rested her chin in her hand with a faraway look on her face. "Hermione?"

"You do realize that if he's telling the truth than that means that Dumbledore's known a lot more than he's ever told you." Hermione said after a long pause as she chewed absently on a strand of hair that had fallen from the messy bun she'd pulled it up into. "Sirius died because there was information kept from you that might have changed so much if you'd have only known about it. You said that he told you that you could have the protection of the Hikari family if you gave up the protection of Merlin's legacy?"

"Then he was trying to tell you something without forcing the knowledge on you." Hermione continued at Harry's nod. "I think it's time Harry that we start looking at Dumbledore's actions a bit more thoroughly. It's already become apparent that we can't trust Dumbledore not if Hogwarts asked Dobby to show us this room so that we'd always have a safe place."

-:-..-:-

A/N: Please don't kill me for taking so long?


End file.
